'Massive' alligator weighing about 700 pounds found in Georgia. It was more than 13 feet long

Trending Now

By

Joel Shannon, USA TODAY

A wildlife biologist in Georgia recently encountered a "massive" alligator weighing an estimated 700 pounds and measuring 13 feet and 4 inches in length, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

The animal was euthanized due to its poor condition; the large alligator had several old gunshot wounds, Hanson said.

It isn't the largest alligator ever found in the state — that was a 14-feet-1-inch gator found in 2015, according to Hanson. Male alligators can grow as long as 16 feet, although anything over 14 feet is considered rare, according to a DNR fact sheet.

Even so, the 13-foot 4-inch animal is a “massive gator,” Hanson said.

The only way an alligator can grow so large is by avoiding human contact: “This guy was hiding pretty good to get that big,” Hanson said, crediting the state's alligator management program.